Tottenville man says he's tired of getting billed for his Great Kills property, because the water's not running

This vacant, unused property on Cleveland Avenue has been billed for water and sewer usage, which owner Art Mazza says is unfair.
(Staten Island Advance/Mark Stein)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - GREAT KILLS - The water may not be running, but the meter is, and the bills keep coming.

Art Mazza, a Tottenville man who owns a small property in Great Kills, is upset that the city Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is billing him for water not being used.

Between June and September last year, the property at 340 Cleveland Ave., used 600 cubic feet of water, resulting in a $93.50 bill, according to a statement sent to him by the DEP.

From December last year to March, usage was zero, yet he was charged $95.31, another statement shows.

The South Shore resident was surprised to receive a bill, adding that while he has no problem paying it off, "It's all principle."

"I get angry when they do things like this," he said of the agency that charged him.

However, there's nothing he could do about it, says the DEP.

"Any property that is connected to the city water or city waste water system is charged based on the meter system," explained DEP spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla. "There is a minimal charge per day."

For Mazza, that price was $1.04, which accumulated from Dec. 21 of last year to March 23.

She said the minimum charge is a contribution to maintain the basic service of the system.

"If the house is empty and the owner of the property doesn't want to pay minimal bills, they have to have a plumber disconnect the water line and the sewer line," Ms. Padilla said, noting that some bills are estimated minimal charges, while others are minimal charges.

She noted that all charges can be avoided if the homeowner disconnects from the system.

One of Mazza's DEP statement reads that the bill is an estimate of the water used.

"An estimated bill based on previous consumption is a valid bill," the statement reads.

A response from the DEP sent to Mazza, regarding his questioning of the charges, said that a minimum charge is billed during any bill period in which charges based on actual consumption are less than the minimum charge and the usage is less than 0.15 hundred cubic feet (HCF) per day.

But, Mazza says the DEP shouldn't charge him for something he's not using.

"There's no water coming in or no water coming out, but they're still charging you in the both directions," he said. "For what reason?"

He said the city has him at a catch-22, because even to disconnect the property from the water system costs a lot of money.

"They just dictate policy. They don't care what the common citizen thinks," said Mazza. "And the last few years, all they've been doing to the general public is charging them with any violation the city could charge."